COMPENDIUM OF RADIATION TREATMENT ACCESSORIES

RADIATION THERAPY HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR THE CONTROL OF CANCER, AND AN IMPRESSIVE ARRAY OF SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGIES HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. WHILE MANY OF THESE ACCESSORIES ARE READILY AVAILABLE FROM COMMERCIAL SOURCES, A VERY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THERAPY AIDS HAVE BEENDEVELOPED AT INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT CENTERS AND ARE NOT AVAILABLE COMMERCIALLY, NOR WIDELY KNOWN. THIS SITUATION IS SUFFICIENTLY WIDESPREAD THAT AT A RECENT WORKSHOP SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, A CONSENSUS WAS REACHED THAT A SOURCEBOOK OF TREATMENT AIDS FOR RADIATION THERAPY SHOULD BE ASSEMBLED. SUCH A BOOK WOULD ALLOW TREATMENT CENTERS TO KEEP INFORMED ABOUT THESE TECHNOLOGIES AND TO LOCATE THE POINT OF CONTACT NEEDED TO OBTAIN THESE DEVICES OR DETAILED FABRICATION PLANS. TO ASSEMBLE SUCH A BOOK EFFECTIVELY REQUIRES SEVERAL DIVERSE SETS OF SKILLS, AND THIS PROJECT HAS THEREFORE FORMED A TEAM WITH COMPLEMENTARY SKILLS CONSISTING OF TWO SMALL BUSINESS-VENTURE ECONOMICS, INC., AND RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES, INC.-AND TWO EXPERIENCED MEDICAL CONSULTANTS FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT OF RADIATION MEDICINE AND THE HARVARD JOINT CENTER FOR RADIATION THERAPY. THE GOAL OF THE PHASE I PROGRAM WILL BE TO ASSEMBLE A PROTOTYPE SOURCEBOOK. IN PHASE II, THE COMPLETED VOLUME WILL BE PREPARED IN A FORM SUITABLE FOR PUBLISHING.